Chapter 6 Fire

He happily threw her on the ground as she got up again and again, not breaking a single bone this time. She signaled him for a break after she stopped counting the throws. “Thanks, got any food?” he nodded “No worries, not everyday you can train throwing a willing person around.” She followed him after he motioned her to do so and they sat down on the bench as he got some food out of his bag. They ate in silence.

A couple minutes later a small voice behind them got their attention. ‘There she is again, my little angel...’ she turned her head to see a small girl in a beautiful robe standing there looking at the ground “Hello Michaela, we’re having a break so you may join us.” she said and the girl’s eyes immediately sparkled as she shyly approached. Her hands outstretched towards Eleonora who simply nodded. She carefully put her hands on the bruises and wounds of Elly as she started concentrating “Mirana, let your light shine through me. Let your healing touch free her from her pain...” her hands started to glow a little as strands of light formed around them. Elly immediately felt her body relax and her wounds close. The bruises got better and the swellings lessened. ‘She’s getting better.’ she thought as she stared at the incredibly beautiful girl before her ‘I don’t want to know what happened the day she got her powers...’ she thought as she felt inclined to touch the girl before her. “You’re incredibly good looking Michaela.” she said as the girl jumped back with embarrassment evident on her face and in her body language. “Thank you...” she stammered out before leaving them again.

It wasn’t every day for a healing mage to be able to train on a real target. “I’m still not sure if you’re into men or women...” said Jonathan sitting next to her still eating some meat. “Well what you’re into is quite evident by how quiet you get when she’s around...” she rebuked and laughed at him choking on his food before dodging a swing that would have bruised her face badly had it hit.

“You fuck...” he said as he grinned and charged at her again. “What I know for sure is that you like the pain...” he said as he closed in on her. She didn’t answer as she dodged and weaved under his barrage of attacks. They trained for hours and paused whenever they were exhausted to talk about magic theories they studied. He provided her freely with books she could borrow from both his family and the academy. His status as a student was high enough and he trusted her that far. Normally a commoner would not be able to access such knowledge or only to a very limited degree. One that wasn’t awakened yet had even less of a chance.

“Participating in the tournament this year?” she asked after the fifth session. “You know I won’t...” she knew why he wouldn’t want to participate. With a good ranking in the tournament more people would recognize his ability and would want to include him in more political affairs, would want to marry him to their daughters or have him train their precious little sons and daughters. “I don’t need the attention...” she knew that all but still couldn’t shake the thought of him wrecking some of the more annoying young nobles of the city. Them flaunting their arrogance was the only reason she didn’t watch the tournament anymore. ‘And very few of them would stand a chance….of the annoying ones at least.’ The tournament was comprised of several different contests of ability. The main thing people cared about was the one on one tap out battles for everyone in the university, regardless of age.

He would certainly not win, not with his 17 years. The earliest graduates were usually older than twenty and some much older. “This is my last one today. I have dinner with my father and some cunty noble friend of his.” he said. They normally went on till long into the evening but the sun was barely setting. “Shame, and I was having so much fun...” he laughed at her bleeding face and brilliant smile “You’re fucking mad Elly...” he said as they got up again.

The hour passed in a flash. The sun already set and the cathedral told them it was six o clock already. “Thanks for playing punching bag again.” he said as he packed his stuff. Elly only nodded and scanned the yard for Michaela with a hopeful expression on her face ‘She’s not coming eh...shame’ the pain didn’t bother her too much and she couldn’t rebuke the comment by Jonathan that she even liked it in a good fight. ‘Let’s you know you’re alive...’ she always thought but closing the wounds and washing all the blood away will be annoying. The healing magic would have taken care of that for her in an instant.

“Thanks for wrecking me.” she said and winked in his direction “You wish...” he said as he touched his crotch. They shared a laugh and left the training grounds. Only a couple students remained, they usually were the last ones leaving. “I have to grab some stuff from my room before heading home. Before you leave though...” he got closer to her and whispered “You know I’ve been outside rarely but you can travel free...I don’t know where you’ll be tomorrow or next month so I’m telling you this. Try to avoid the east, there’s trouble brewing with Karith. Sleep well.” he punched her shoulder and left “You too….” she said as she turned towards the street. ‘Karith hmm?’

Her head was full of thoughts as she went down towards the gate. She passed unhindered and walked towards the city center. The further away from the noble district the more people she encountered out an about. It was a cloudy evening, already darker than the last night had been. She soon reached her favorite pub, the white wolf. They had a brilliant cook and served late into the night. Normally she’d be the one eating among the drunken patrons, maybe today was different because of the early hour.

‘They’re always drunk...’ she thought as it felt the exact same as all the other times she’d been there. And she liked it. The people in the white wolf were drunk yet easy to get along with. Many veterans or former guards. She paid and soon enjoyed a great meal in her usual corner of the room, observing the people around her. A toast was said after a bulky man with scars on his face got the attention of the pub “To Rodrick!! He has awakened today in the woods of Narra!” some people lifted their mugs “Survived seven direwolves attacking and even injured one!” Everyone cheered and lifted their mugs. So did Elly ‘They awaken with seven direwolves and I piss my pants against a shifter...’ the boy seemed about the same age as her, maybe a year younger. Rather late awakening she thought. ‘Not that I’m one to talk...’

Apparently he was becoming a warrior, having gained an internal magic to improve his speed and power. ‘Pretty standard, same as Jonathan, just four years later and non elemental. Might become a capable guard at some point though.’ the toast left a bitter taste in her mouth and she soon got ready to leave, her body still bloody and battered. Not that anyone in there cared much or even noticed while being that drunk.

Outside in the winds she noticed band of riders. ‘It’s getting cold, might need to change to warmer clothes soon...’ she thought as she curiously looked at the somewhat familiar group. The red tags hanging over their armor were less obvious than the head of a shifter hanging from one of their horses. ‘That’s the one...’ she thought as she recognized the beasts head. Somehow she felt the beast had a mocking smile on its disfigured face, saying she would never get her revenge.

She felt her mood right in the gutter as she left the street and walked through the alleys. It was around ten and she felt like walking. After a couple hours in the cold thinking she felt much better and went home. Ready for her bed she entered the house and went upstairs. She froze in the hallway as she stared at what was happening at the end of it.

Her mother…she was there. And a being of shadow holding her by her neck. The feeling that gripped Eleonora was different than when she looked at the Shifter. Complete fear. Every cell of her body told her to run. She couldn’t think. All her training and instinct made her move as she went downstairs as quietly as she could, her mind screaming that there was death behind her. A shadow covered all of the walls and she was unable to open the door to leave.

‘I have to get away, get away, get away...’ she thought her whole body trembling with fear after looking at the being upstairs for only a second. She couldn’t get away though so she did the next best thing. She hid. She went into the closed that was empty before nearly stumbling over the satchel from the day before. She closed the closet as quietly as possible and sat down waiting. ‘What was that….’ she was trying her best to stop her body from trembling, the fear wasn’t as strong when not looking at the being directly. ‘A being of shadow...’ never had she even read about something like this. It looked like a dark mist with even darker eyes.

And then she heard it. A voice so full of power she couldn’t focus on anything else. “Lena Acantha…” Elly didn’t feel the heat in the room rise, the voice filling her head “Rather disappointing really…considering your mother. A herbalist, really?...You wouldn’t know where she is, would you?” it asked, seemingly knowing the answer already. “Well less of your blood is always a good thing I suppose, even if you’ve wasted it.” Lena didn’t answer, either unable to overcome her fear or unwilling. Elly heard a snap and she knew that her mother had died.

The voice didn’t say another word and Eleonora’s focus returned to her. The pressure she felt before left too but she suddenly noticed it was incredibly hot. And it became harder for her to breathe. For some reason she knew the being was not there anymore and had either not noticed her at all or hadn’t cared. She slightly opened the closet and immediately closed it again, screaming as she held her burned face. Half of it badly singed.

A flame had immediately assaulted her when she opened the closet. It would burn too in mere seconds, maybe a minute. She knew normal fire wouldn’t burn this hot, even with her high pain tolerance and her training it was hard to think clearly. ‘M..magic fire!’ the thought scared her. Only demons were able to do this, but they couldn’t talk. They were monsters. The possible implications scared her but she shoved it in the back of her head as she focused on her current situation as best as she could.

‘The fire will kill me in seconds if I leave the closet, or I will die in seconds after leaving the door….if I reach it that is.’ she immediately emptied the satchel she put into the otherwise empty closet and only saw the herbs she left in there and the rabbit she had left. “Might as well die doing something I love...” she said as she started eating all the herbs, starting with the red lotus she got from the Limping Horses. ‘Maybe there is some property I don’t know about that will help against magic fire’ she chuckled madly as she shoved the herbs into her mouth, her throat burning. After the herbs she took the dead rabbit and looked at it, the flames eating through the closet already burning her badly.

The pain was so intense she could do nothing but scream. No sound came out from her throat as the heat and smoke had long since completely dried it out. The last thought Eleonora Vera had was an amusing one, thinking of the fate she shared with the rabbit. ‘Maybe a stew...’ said some distant voice in the back of her mind while she was consumed by pain and fire.

The fire burned through the whole house, word of a demon had already reached the guard. Veterans and rookies were tense as they rushed to the scene in trained formations.